Screen Name

The email address/password you submitted is wrong or could not be found. Please try again. If you are not a member of the FIFA.com Club, please register first.

The email address/password you submitted is wrong or could not be found. Please try again. If you are not a member of the FIFA.com Club, please register first.

This Facebook account is already present

Your Club account has been locked due to a breach of our Terms of Service. Please set up a new account in line with the Club rules. Review the Club Rules. Alternatively, you can email us by completing our contact form.

Please enter a valid email address

The email address/password you submitted is wrong or could not be found. Please try again. If you are not a member of the FIFA.com Club, please register first.

Overview

Morel ready for final push

During the course of their 102-year history Boca Juniors have
forged a reputation for passion, determination and an unquenchable
desire for success. As you might expect for such an ambitious club,
most of players who have pulled on the blue and gold jersey over
the years have embodied these exact qualities. Among the current
crop of natural born winners is the versatile Paraguayan Claudio
Morel Rodriguez, who arrived at the club in mid-2004 and has gone
on to become a firm favourite with the demanding
Xeneizefans.

Just hours before the final with AC Milan in Yokohama, the
29-year-old shared his thoughts with
FIFA.com and spoke about his special relationship
with the Bombonera faithful, the secret to stopping Kaka and his
dream of winning of the trophy with one of his trademark
free-kicks.

"Nothing compares to this," says Morel when asked
about the importance of Sunday's showdown. "The Club World
Cup is much more important than anything we've won so far.
It's a special tournament and I just hope we can win on Sunday
and take the trophy back to Argentina."

As far as the defender is concerned, the fact that the mighty
Milan are standing in Boca's way only adds to the prestige of
the occasion. "There's nothing like taking on a big side,
one of the best clubs in the world with all their stars. If we win,
we'll be the best team on the planet. You can't ask for any
more than that."

OperationKakaBoca's hopes of landing the trophy clearly hinge on their
ability to blunt the threat posed by Kaka, who once again showed
his qualities in Milan's win over Urawa Red Diamonds. And to do
that they will need Morel to be at his very best.

"With his ability to find space, Kaka can really hurt you.
That's why we really need to get on top of him and stop him
playing. Players like him don't like that," explains
Morel, who admits to being a little disappointed with the Italians
in their opening game. "I expected a lot more from them. I
really hope they come out and play an open game on Sunday.
They're a great team, they know how to keep their cool and they
control possession well. We're capable of winning this
tournament, though, and we're in the final for a
reason."

The Paraguayan, a self-confessed admirer of Roberto Carlos and
Oscar Ruggeri, is more than just a destroyer, however, and his
dead-ball abilities add an important dimension to Boca's
attacking play. "It would be wonderful to score the goal that
wins the Club World Cup, but I have to be realistic. As long as we
win, I don't care who scores the goal."

A winning goal on Sunday would assure the player idol status at
a club with more than its fair share of heroes, not that the modest
Morel is out to make a name for himself. "I feel loved by the
fans but I'm not an idol. That's a very strong word. I
think people like me because I'm the type of player who gives
everything out on the pitch and I never let my head drop, even when
things aren't going well."

It is that never-say-die attitude that the Argentinians will
need if they are to overcome Milan and make Morel's biggest
dream a reality. "I want nothing more than to win and take the
cup back to my wife and my children Axel and Eliel. I miss them a
lot, but the sacrifice is worth it."